Wrestlers from all levels of the sport were invited Tuesday to the season-ending banquet held by the Perry matmen at the PHS Commons.
Perry finished 12-12 in dual competition and was 3-4 in the Raccoon River Conference. The team is coaches by Mark Weber, who is assisted by Nick Field, J.P. Hulgan and Drew Niebuhr.
Three Bluejays reached the state tournament this season, the first in which Perry competed in Class 3A (the school is the smallest in the class). Senior Zach Stewart (55-5) became Perry’s fifth all-time state champion by winning the 138-pound division, with junior Kaleb Olejniczak (48-6) placing second at 126 while senior Zachary Thompson (44-7) finished fourth at 120.
Several team awards were presented, with Stewart named Outstanding Wrestler. Freshman Riece Graham was named both Most Improved and Rookie of the Year, with Jeb Stewart named Most Improved Junior Varsity.
Thompson and Olejniczak shared the coaches’ Leadership award, with the coaches saluting seniors Miguel Gonzalez with the Adversity award and Daniel Brinton with the Never Give Up award.
Olejniczak was chosen for the Bluejay Way award as best ambassador for the team and school while Thompson earned the Danny Garber award, given for extreme effort.
Among the other awards presented was the Keeper of the Creed designation, given to Justin Stammer, while Thompson was saluted for being the first four-time place winner in school history.
Thompson leaves as the school record holder in career wins (174), career takedowns (484), and single season near falls (40).
Seniors Thompson, Stewart, Brinton, Gonzalez, Bryan Catalan, Angel Escobar and Alex Tapia were saluted for their dedication to the program, with the coaches making several remarks.
